July 4 the Deadliest Day of the Year for Teens on the Road

Scary stats from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s crash data show that the Fourth of July is the deadliest day for teenaged drivers. The report also shows that it’s a time for all other holiday drivers to be especially wary as well.

For parents, Independence Day driving is no joke — with their teen sons and daughters involved in four times more car crashes than any other other age group.

The IIHS numbers indicate that more than 800 in the U.S. have been killed in car accidents on the Fourth of July between 2006-2010 — and if the upward trend continues, there will be 140 more killed this year.

Texting and cell phone use among teens is the leading cause of distracted driving crashes, so parents should make sure to warn teens about cell phone use when driving, talk to them about the dangers of drinking and other distractions — and, heck, if all else fails install teen tracking tech on their car to track their location and speeding habits.

And heck, remind them to wear a seat belt too. Don’t be afraid of teenaged eye-rolling, sighs and harumphs that mom or dad is “not cool.” This holiday driving season, it’s too important to communicate and keep your family safe and secure.

This holiday season, please stay smart and take steps to educate your family.